January TOP TWENTY

Inauguration Day was January's big news event. Some words used to describe the ceremony were looked up more frequently than usual last month, but none broke into the Top Twenty. If combined, however, the verb inaugurate and the noun inauguration would have just squeaked in at number 19 (and would have landed at number one on Inauguration Day itself).

Happy Birthday: 1809

Two men who led two very different revolutions share the birth date February 12, 1809. Charles Darwin changed the way scientists view the origin of man; Abraham Lincoln changed the way Americans view their fellow man. So what words share a birth year with these two men? Some of these words help paint a picture of a changing world.

It's easy to find the more than 80 words that first appeared in print in 1809. Select the Collegiate as the reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1809 in the Date field, and click on Search.

Notable and Quotable: James Joyce

James Joyce, praised as one of the most influential writers in the English language, was born February 2, 1882. His words appear at 43 entries in the Unabridged. One of his more memorable phrasings appears last on the list. Here's a sampling.

Curious about a notable person's contributions to the dictionary? Select the Unabridged and click on Advanced Search. Type the author's last name in the Author field, and click Search.

Just Foolin' Around

February is the month to fool around and fall in love. See the fancy words for a sweetheart we found for this Valentine's Day. Want to find your own? Select the Collegiate as the reference, click on Advanced Search, type love in the Definition field, and click on Search.

From the Mail Server

This past month, editors fielded questions on the dictionary's appearance and on its internal organization. They also received a question about the correct way to pronounce a name borrowed from Spanish.

Words in the News

Last month we talked about the history of inaugurate; that verb and its related forms were the most-looked-up words on Inauguration Day, January 20. On that day there were other Inauguration-inspired look-ups, including invocation and benediction. What's the difference between those two?

To Coin a Phrase

Searching through lost time, we found a literary anniversary worth recalling: 100 years ago last month, Marcel Proust enjoyed the single most consequential snack in literary history.

In Case You Were Wondering

Every year has at least one Friday the 13th, and 2009 has three — one in February, March, and November. Fear of the number 13 is known as triskaidekaphobia. Phobia derives from New Latin (ultimately from Greek phebesthai, "to flee"), while treis kai deka translates from Greek as "three and ten." The Unabridged counts only ten terms with thirteen in their definition: one refers to a member of a baker's dozen of sainted healers; four name animals or insects; still another names a coin or a card; and the remaining terms denote a certain count. See them all, if you dare.